Avon's citywide garage sale starts Saturday.
The French Creek District will be filled with antique dealers, and neighborhoods will be packed with garage sales.
The heart of this decades-old event is an Avon couple with a deep love for their community and its history.
I spoke with Lois and Bob Shinko, known around town as Aunt Teak and Uncle Junque, for their love of old things.
"Trying to preserve stuff, but that's not easy when everyone nowadays wants something new," said Bob.
The couple has owned and operated The Country Store at 2536 Stoney Ridge Road since the early 1970s. It is filled with antiques and great memories.
"It was unique stuff," said Bob. "Different, you know."
The store is in the French Creek District in the heart of Avon — much like Bob and Lois.
Bob said Lois was the backbone of the operation, and he loved talking with guests.
"Just my nature," he said.
Lois is known for her love of junking, collecting antiques, and quick smile for everyone, and Bob loved making conversation and popcorn for all the customers who made The Country Store a must-stop place to visit.
The couple also loves the joy of community events.
In the 1980s, they created the Candlelite Walk, which still exists today.
They also created the outhouse races down Stoney Ridge Road, which had to be flushed after a close call with a runaway outhouse and a police cruiser.
And, of course, Lois Shinko's Aunt Teak and Uncle Junque Citywide Garage Sale Weekend.
"They're the family events that people can bring their kids to and have a lot of fun at," said Fay Bishop, a longtime friend of the couple.
The events they established have become signature events that Avon traditions and part of what makes it such a special place to live, says Bishop.
"They're a terrific couple," said Bishop. "They know everybody, and everybody knows them."
Perhaps nobody knows Avon better than Lois.
"She's where it all started," said Bryan Jensen, mayor of Avon.
Lois has dedicated her life to preserving Avon's history through her work with the Avon Historical Society, the Landmark Preservation Commission, and more. There is even a plaque in her honor at city hall.
Mayor Bryan Jensen presented Lois with the key to the city and said she's left an indelible mark on Avon.
"She's always been synonymous with promoting the city but also promoting its heritage," he said.
Avon's heritage is Lois' heritage.
In the 1890s, her Great, Great Aunt Emma Weiler and Great, Great Cousin May Webber, ran the business as a general store and a millinery.
Lois and Bob then opened the Country Store in the early 1970's.
"She tried to keep everything looking like a general store with medicine and spices," said their daughter, Anne Marie Shinko-Brown.
Anne Marie said the store is filled with reclaimed barn wood, every kind of vintage house decor you can imagine, unique touches and features, and so many happy memories.
"My parents used to have candy right here," she said, pointing to the front counter. "My brother and I would go to the truck and pick out the candy we could sell at the country store, and that was really fun!"
Half a century later, at age 86, Anne Marie said she and her brother, David, say their parents are ready to retire.
"They worked here up until last year," said Anne Marie.
It is their happy place.
"Their retirement wasn't going on a cruise; it was working at the country store," said Anne Marie.
She said the store and her parents' time in it created countless wonderful memories.
She said the current plan is to keep the building and the country store name and hold an online auction for the antiques in July. She said Premier Auction Galleries will have a link where people can bid. Learn more here.
"We are also going to have a walk-through so they can see the items before they bid on them," said Anne Marie.
She said those details are to be determined.
It is bittersweet, she said. Anne Marie grew up here, too, and says the store is filled with wonderful memories at every turn, including her childhood signature, which she found last month, written in chalk on a back wall.
"Very emotional," she said.
She hopes the Avon community carries on the legacy of her parents.
"Knowing our history is important," she said.
A legacy her parents would be proud of, and built off so much hard work growing their dreams, and so many special memories cherished by the family and community.
"You know, my dad would sit and talk with people," she said while walking around the store. "It's all about community and being a family and doing things with your families."
While Lois and Bob spent a lifetime collecting trinkets, gadgets, and stuff, they recognized the value in the stories they tell and that the true treasures in life are the people you share them with.
